Tuesday in Manhattan

Not being a morning person in general and still being on Pacific time, it required a special effort for me to be ready to catch the 8:00 AM commuter ferry from Sandy Hook to lower Manhattan. We left my sisters house at 7:15 AM dressed for the hot weather and a lot of walking. The ferry departed promptly, making its way across the channel, under the Verizano bridge and past several islands. The Manhattan skyline was in view as we passed the Statue of Liberty.

Wall street was the first stop and then 34th street. We bounded off the ferry, hopped a taxi, and quickly made our way to 55th and Lexington. My sister went to her hair appointment and I walked around the corner to Starbucks for a double espresso on ice. Lexington, Madison, Park and on to Fifth, where I turned to walk up to 57th to Bergdorf Goodman. Central Park and The Plaza Hotel were just in my view. It was a clear bright day with a breeze, perfect for walking.

Barbara (my sister) met up with me in the cosmetics counter in Bergdorf Goodman. After we both purchased the latest shade of burgundy lipstick for the Fall, it was time to have a snack and go downtown to walk the High Line[1]. The High Line is a new park attraction in New York. It is an elevated walkway starting at 30th and 11th and zig-zaging in between buildings all the way to Greenwich Village. It is built over elevated train tracks that traversed the meatpacking district. It was buit over train tracks that existed since the 1800’s. Click on the link to find out more. We exited the taxi just as people were standing around having evacuated buildings from the days 5.8 earthquake tremor. How crazy is that!

In Greenwich Village we stopped again for coffee and Italian biscotti. Once our batteries were recharged we took a taxi uptown to the J Crew store on 85th and Broadway to see the Fall collection. At 5:20 we taxied our way across Central Park to Prime Ko[2] restaurant (a kosher Japanese steak house) for an early dinner. Prime Ko opens at 5:30. The menu looked very exciting, Sushi a la carte, Chilean Sea Bass skewers with Miso glaze, prime Wagyu steak[3] served with bok choy, and Wagyu filled Gyoza (pot stickers) were among some of the menu highlights.[4]

The food was wonderfully flavorful and off of the beaten path for kosher dining. Wagyu tasted like moist bubbles of flavor erupting in my mouth as I thoughtfully chewed my slice of steak. The manager Fadi a seasoned restauranteur from the Prime Grill[5] and Solo[6] (the best kosher restaurants in Manhattan) was kind enough to let us down in the kitchen (in Manhattan Kitchens are in the basement). I introduced myself to the Japanese chef -“Dozo yoroshiku onegaitashimasu” and bowed. Back upstairs we ordered Nutella filled crepes with chocolate sauce and caramelized bananas for dessert. Fadi complimented us with Zombie aperitifs. Suddenly it was time to leave to catch the boat back to New Jersey. WE said our goodbyes and many thanks for a wonderful evening of food.[7][8]